Anaconda wind farm a bad idea
The Montana Standard | November 4, 2012 | mtstandard.com
I read an article that doesn’t bode well for the good citizens of Anaconda.
Apparently, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, Exergy Integrated Systems and Northwestern Energy are in the proposal stage of a huge, unsightly wind farm project here. According to news reports, the proposed 45-megawatt wind farm could power 6,000 homes in the area.
Eight wind turbines could be built on top of the C-Hill in Anaconda. The wind turbines would be over 400 feet tall and would overlook the world’s biggest Superfund site, which encompasses our quaint little town.
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund Coordinator Carl Nyman says, after “100 years of mining and smelting here-to create renewable energy on this site is almost a 180 from what it was used for in the past and that’s pretty exciting I think for the area.”
Seriously, Karl Nyman? Do you honestly think that eight noisy, unsightly 400-foot tall wind turbines sitting smack on top of the C-Hill is a good thing for our town? If this happens, the view of our beautiful skyline on the south side of town would be turned into a hideously ugly industrial mess, far worse than anything our Superfund status has dealt us thus far.
One of the most endearing aspects of life in Anaconda today is the view of our beloved mountains and hills. Think about it … the smelter stack itself is around 500 feet tall. Imagine having eight humongous 400-foot tall wind turbines on top of the C-Hill, far above the smelter stack. Those wind turbines would become thefocal point of Anaconda.
Every other scenic view in town would be overshadowed by these 400-foot tall monstrosities and our quality of life would be ruined.
Windfarms may be a good idea in theory, but for a town like Anaconda that doesn’t have much going for it except our beautiful mountain views, this will be an absolute travesty if it’s allowed to happen.
The C-Hill is a horrible choice for the site. I cannot fathom how anyone thinks this is a good idea.
One of the main reasons people move to Anaconda is because of our incredible views of the mountains. These huge wind turbines will be visible for literally miles and miles and miles, even more so than The Big Stack itself.
The C-Hill is one of the last pristine places in Anaconda for hikers, mountain bikers, and motorcycle riders to go that is literally within minutes of downtown. The forest is thriving there, and there is no knapweed or garbage on the upper areas of the hill.
The C-Hill sets the backdrop for the entire south side of side of town, and is one of the foothills of the majestic Pintler Range.
Shame on you, Karl Nyman, for thinking the C-Hill needs these huge ugly turbines sitting right on top of it. Do you really want to ruin the view of Anaconda’s skyline forever, just to power 6000 homes?
Linda Behan Brooks
403 E. 8th St.
Anaconda
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/05/anaconda-wind-farm-a-bad-idea/